Clinical significance of prognostic nutritional index in predicting the efficacy in patients with B-cell lymphoma.

Abstract

To investigate the clinical significance of prognostic nutritional index (PNI) in predicting the efficacy in patients with B-cell lymphoma. The clinical data from 111 patients with B-cell lymphoma (B-cell lymphoma group), who were newly diagnosed in the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from February 2013 to September 2018, were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 93 volunteers selected from the Health Management Center in the Third Xiangya Hospital were set as control, The PNI was compared between the 2 groups. The PNI cut-off value was determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. According to the PNI values of patients before chemotherapy, the patients were also divided into a high PNI group (≥43.5) and a low PNI group (<43.5). The correlation of baseline characteristics was evaluated. The correlation between changes in PNI levels and efficacy were evaluated before and after chemotherapy. The PNI value in the B-cell lymphoma group was significantly lower than that in the healthy control group (P<0.05). Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), presence or absence of B symptoms, international prognostic index (IPI), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, source of germinal center, and the efficacy between the high PNI group and the low PNI group were significantly different (all P<0.05). The mean PNI in the effective patients in the low PNI group was increased from 38.10 before chemotherapy to 42.66 after chemotherapy, with significant difference (t=-2.562, P<0.05). The PNI value in the ineffective patients in the high PNI group was decreased from 50.50 before chemotherapy to 41.45 after chemotherapy, with significant difference (t=3.044, P<0.05). The level of PNI in patients with B-cell lymphoma is significantly lower than that in healthy people, and it is related to the baseline characteristics of prognosis. The change of PNI level before and after chemotherapy can provide certain basis for efficacy evaluation.